What Computer Hardware Engineers Do

Computer hardware engineers research, design, develop, and test computer equipment such as chips, circuit boards, or routers. By solving complex problems in computer hardware, these engineers create rapid advances in computer technology.

Duties

Computer hardware engineers typically do the following:

• Design new computer hardware, creating blueprints of computer equipment to be built
• Test the completed models of the computer hardware they design
• Analyze the test results and modify the design as needed
• Update existing computer equipment so that it will work with new software
• Oversee the manufacturing process for computer hardware

Computer hardware engineers ensure that computer hardware components work together with the latest software developments. Therefore, hardware engineers sometimes work with software developers. For example, computer hardware engineers give developers of mobile applications information about what kind of software a cell phone can run.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition